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Cody Rhodes cleared to wrestle, confronted by Ricky Saints on SmackDown

sportsMay 1, 20261874

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes opened SmackDown saying he met with WWE medical staff and General Manager Nick Aldis and that he is medically cleared to return to the ring. Ricky Saints interrupted Rhodes, made his WWE main roster debut, called himself the revolution, and the two agreed to a match for tonight's SmackDown. The segment positions Saints as a fresh challenger to Rhodes and creates a high-profile test for Rhodes' first match since being cleared, shaping SmackDown's immediate title picture.

Fightful Wrestling
@fightful.com

Ricky Saints' first night on SmackDown, and he's wrestling Cody Rhodes. Great start for him. #SmackDown

497h ago
WiFi Wisdom2

Cody the reason he got hired

Kam Dreesen
@thekamdreesen.bsky.social

Ricky Saints & Cody Rhodes in the same ring! You can tell Cody’s very proud of him 🥹 #SmackDown

47h ago
WrestleTalk
@wrestletalk.bsky.social

"You know how I feel about you, I'm happy to have you, but what's the difference now compared to the last time you stepped up to me?" - Cody Rhodes to Ricky Saints

47h ago
WrestlingXposed
@wrestlingxposed.bsky.social

Cody Rhodes beats Ricky Saints After the match Gunther runs out and chocked out Cody Rhodes. #WWE #Smackdown

45h ago
ass worthtappen
@jessespector.com

cody rhodes has won me over by saying “begets the question” instead of wrongly using “begs the question”

47h ago
meraWRESTLING
@merawrestling.bsky.social

Cody Rhodes: “Earlier tonight, I got here. I met with WWE's esteemed medical staff. I met with my friend, our General Manager, Nick Aldis to find out if I would be medically cleared for action. Well, that's exactly what happened... because I am cleared for action!” #SmackDown

37h ago
Sadé's Wrestling Thoughts
@sadenicole.bsky.social

Cody Rhodes starts the show with a promo about how he's cleared to wrestle but gets interrupted by Ricky Saints. He says that he's the revolution. They end up agreeing to a match. This was a decent start. Saints is a good talker so he has to be talking every week. #wwesmackdown

27h ago
Getting Over: Wrestling Podcast
@gettingovercast.bsky.social

Ricky Saints makes his WWE main roster debut confronting Cody Rhodes to open #WWE #SmackDown. Deep end. 👀👀👀

27h ago
Brian George
@briangeorgehfx.bsky.social

Cody Rhodes vs Ricky Saints tonight. Push these call ups to the moon! #Smackdown

17h ago
WRESTLINGATTITUDE - WWE & AEW News
@wrestlingattitude.bsky.social

Ricky Saints Makes WWE SmackDown Debut and Confronts Cody Rhodes READ MORE www.wrestlingattitude.com/2026/05/rick... #RickySaints #SmackDown #WWE

16h ago
The Bi-Conics Wrestling Podcast
@bcwrestlepod.bsky.social

WWE SmackDown is LIVE TONIGHT on USA! Cody Rhodes kicks off the show. Jacob Fatu returns after securing his Backlash title match. Charlotte Flair vs. Jacy Jayne. Ricky Saints debuts on SmackDown. 8ET/7CT. #SmackDown #WWEBacklash

8h ago
RyGuy⚛️♾️🇨🇦 he/him/his
@ryguy2927.bsky.social

🤼‍♂️ TONIGHT'S WWE SMACKDOWN 🤼🏻‍♀️ 🇺🇸 LIVE from Bok Center, Tulsa, OK 🖥 Netflix/USA ⌚️ 8 pm ET All this and much more! #wrestlingsky

This image is a promotional graphic for an upcoming episode of **WWE SmackDown**, organized into a four-panel grid. The overall aesthetic is high-energy, featuring a background of bright blue and white "shattered" geometric shapes and lens flares. ### **The Layout and Content** * **Top-Left Quadrant:** Features **Cody Rhodes**, a male wrestler with short, platinum blonde hair and a large, colorful tattoo of an American flag-style eagle on the side of his neck. He has a serious expression, wears a red, white, and blue ring jacket, and carries a gold championship belt over his shoulder. * **Text:** "Cody Rhodes kicks off WWE SmackDown!" * **Top-Right Quadrant:** Shows **Jacob Fatu**, a muscular male wrestler with long dark hair tied back. He is scowling fiercely at the camera, showcasing tattoos across his chest and shoulders. * **Text:** "Jacob Fatu returns!" * **Bottom-Left Quadrant:** Highlights **Ricky Saints**, a male wrestler with short dark hair and a intense gaze. He is wearing a black-and-white studded vest and holding one hand up near his face. * **Text:** "Ricky Saints makes his SmackDown debut!" * **Bottom-Right Quadrant:** Presents a face-off between two female wrestlers. On the left is **Charlotte Flair**, who has long blonde hair and a confident, slight smile. On the right is **Jacy Jayne**, with dark hair, wearing red-tinted circular sunglasses and white gloves. * **Text:** "Charlotte Flair and Jacy Jayne face each other in a women's match." Tonight's WWE SmackDown is being broadcast on the USA Network for viewers in the USA and Netflix internationally.
13h ago
Varian Nash
@variannash.blacksky.app

Friday night, folks! And we are in Tulsa, Oklahoma for #SmackDown as we make our way towards #WWEBacklash We hear from Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn, and have plenty of action to go around!

7h ago
Dee
@roseplantqueen.bsky.social

oh so finally we have a confrontation between Ricky Saints and Cody Rhodes #SmackDown

7h ago
Bill Yard - Newsman
@badnewsandy.bsky.social

My Christmas wish is coming true! Cody Rhodes vs Ricky Saints tonight! (Ricky didn’t beat Oba Femi at Deadline last time to earn the shot) #wwe #smackdown #codyrhodes #rickysaints

7h ago
2 sources
wrestletalk.comWWE Champion Cody Rhodes Cleared To Return, Confronted By Ricky Saints On SmackDown - WrestleTalksportskeeda.comCody Rhodes makes a surprising announcement about his health just 13 days after WrestleMania 42

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